A new multi-sports Satellite Club has been set up at St Elizabeth Hospice in Ipswich, which supports young people with progressive and terminal illnesses to stay active, socialise with others and develop new skills.

The club enables 14-19 year olds with a variety of supportive and palliative care needs to try a range of different sports including boccia, kurling and bowling. All of the sports are entirely inclusive, adaptable and accessible, so that everyone can get involved regardless of their individual needs.

The club has been set up by Active Suffolk and the Young Adult Care and Transition CNS at St Elizabeth Hospice, in partnership with Elatus Sports.

Lea Denley, Project Officer (Community Sport and Physical Activity) at Active Suffolk said: "We are delighted to be working with St Elizabeth Hospice and Elatus Sports for this Satellite Club, as we know the many benefits that exercise can bring to those living with progressive or terminal illnesses.

Before setting up the club, we had an initial consultation with the X-Change group at St Elizabeth Hospice, a group that offers young people the opportunity to meet regularly and share their experiences. They told us that they would like a multi-sports club that would give them the flexibility to choose different activities each week and that their siblings could also attend if they wanted to.

We have designed the club so that it is family-orientated, fully inclusive and most importantly, is fun for everyone involved. We want to support these inspiring young people as much as possible to lead active lives and we hope that the club will provide some additional respite for them and their fantastic families."

The multi-sports club, aimed at 14-19 year olds, is one of many Satellite Clubs across the county funded by the Sport England Satellite Club Project, which is supported and delivered locally by Active Suffolk. The project was initially launched as part of Sport England's strategy 'Towards an Active Nation', with the aim of increasing the percentage of young people taking part in sport and/or physical activity. The Satellite Clubs provide enjoyable and convenient opportunities for young people to take part in regular exercise and since their introduction in 2013, have helped thousands to become more active.